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Europe Launches Key Galileo Satellites

America’s days are sadly numbered as a world leader and Europe is emptying its cargo off the ship while it still can. Europe’s infrastructure is also seeing significant improvements despite a faltering economic system. Most people would point to China as the next world leader, but they might find themselves in for a bit of a surprise. The EU combined is the world’s largest economy. Further economic intergration is being forced among EU members in order to provide a stable alternative system as well. The creation of a European army has also been mentioned and proposed, which would be a replacement of NATO. The stage is set for a United States of Europe. Only time will tell.

The European Space Agency has successfully launched its the third and forth satellites of the Galileo global navigation satellite system, Europe’s version of America’s gps. The system’s in-orbit validation satellites are now complete.

In 2007, then European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani admonished, “We must commit very strongly to Galileo. We need this; this not entertainment. This is necessary for the competitiveness of our European Union in the world.”

Galileo is Europe’s challenge to U.S. monopoly and military dominance of its gps. It is another significant step for Europe as it lurches toward full independence from the U.S. and superpower status. For more from our archives on this subject, read “Space Wars: Galileo vs. GPS” and “Who Will Win the Space Race?”